Promises
by Snowsgirl
Summary: Austria gets a visitor in the middle of the night.


Midnight. Outline illuminated by the serene glow of a swollen moon, a slim figure lie in bed, thoroughly tangled in clean, lilac sheets. His chest rose and fell gently, a sign that the bed's occupant was in a deep sleep. His face was soft and peaceful, chestnut hair lightly tousled, and his glasses rested on the wooden nightstand in front of the slender neck of a table lamp.

The sleeping man did not wake even as the front door of his house was thrown open and closed and a shadow raced through the corridors, not bothering to muffle his heavy footsteps.

In the moonlight, as he entered the bedroom, the sharply defined features were made even more terrible. The moonlight also revealed that the intruder was dressed in loose-fitting pajamas pants, a night robe as his only cover for his upper body, showing a strong chest, turned to silver by the soft glow. He had arrived in a hurry, barely taking the time to lace up his boots, and he breathed heavily from his dash across borders.

Through all this, the man lying in bed did not wake. He barely moved at all, save for his breathing.

"You!" called the one in the doorway, catching his breath. "Get up now! It's an emergency!"

When this seemed to have no effect, the man, whose fair hair turned luminous in the moon's light, stomped over to the other's bedside, tugging the blankets away.

"Roderich! I'm talking to you!" he grunted.

Roderich curled up around the blankets, pulling them to his chest with both hands in hopes that they wouldn't be taken from him. "...Creeping around at night, Gilbert...?"

At this, Gilbert retreated, grinning. "Shut up. Come on, out of bed!"

The Austrian rolled onto his stomach with a groan, pressing his face into one of the many soft, satiny pillows that were scattered about his mattress. Begrudgingly, he reached a slender hand out to pull the cord of the lamp, and the room was lit with a dull golden color, easy enough on the eyes. "What is it this time?"

When the Prussian didn't answer, he sat up out of bed, glaring at him harshly. "What do you want so late at night?"

"Ah..." The albino looked a little embarrassed, and he turned slightly back to the doorway, looking a little bit distracted. "I sort of... wanted you to play something for me, actually..."

"Excuse me?" Roderich brushed a bit of hair out of his face, trying to smooth his bedhead back into place, to little avail. He slung the blankets off of his body, then searched out his slippers with soft, uncalloused feet. "You want me to play for you?"

Gilbert nodded as the other man rose from his bed, straightening his nightshirt and perching his glasses back on his nose.

"Are you feeling well?" asked Roderich, padding over to stand in front of the Prussian, staring him in the eye. "Is something the matter?"

The only response was a small shake of Gilbert's head.

With a sigh, the chestnut-haired man wandered quietly past the albino, shaking his head slowly. He signaled with his hand for Gilbert to follow.

The light in his drawing room flickered on, and he took his seat at the bench in an almost serene way. He fingered the keys gently, helping himself to a few soft scales before his eyes wandered back to Gilbert, the flyaway curl bobbing with his movements. "What would you like to hear...?"

"...Preußenlied..."

"Your national anthem?" asked Roderich, raising an eyebrow. So he was in one of _those_moods again. "Only you, Gilbert."

Gilbert gave a shrug before taking a position, standing behind Roderich with a tiny smile on his face.

The Austrian's fingers began to glide gently over the ivory, lightly gracing each sharp and key with a soft touch. This rendition of Gilbert's anthem was tricky. By now, the Austrian knew the tune by heart, and he couldn't forget if he tried. As many anthems, it was not a complicated sound to recreate, but it lacked a certain amount of pride that could only be put into the song the way it was originally intended to be played. It was a welcomed challenge.

As the song ended, Roderich admitted to himself he may have made a few mistakes... but hopefully the normally arrogant man wouldn't berate him for them.

Slowly, violet eyes lifted to read Gilbert's expression. They widened in shock when he saw Gilbert was no longer facing him anymore, that his shoulders appeared to give a small heave every now and again, and that, if he listened quietly enough, a soft, nearly silent sob emitted from deep within the Prussian's chest.

"...Gilbert..." Roderich stood, concern playing loudly in his eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."

The brunette's arms somehow found their way around the albino's form, pulling him close into a hug. "...They're taking her away from me..."

"Who?"

"Prussia is gone, Roderich," mumbled Gilbert, one, two fat tears rolling down his cheeks. "Everything I've ever worked for is gone now."

Roderich should have expected this. He had heard rumors... but they had only been rumors. Prussia was dissolved. After everything that Gilbert had been through, hundreds upon hundreds of years, they were taking everything from him, and leaving him with absolutely nothing. "...I'm so sorry..."

Oddly enough, Gilbert returned the hug finally, burying his face into Roderich's neck as he sobbed quietly. "I'm not expected to live much longer... Without a nation, I have no reason to exist..."

"What about your brother? What will happen to him now that the war is over?" asked Roderich, attempting to distract him.

"...He gets off with a slap on the wrist, compared to me... I don't think he'll be able to live this down in a million years, but i-it wasn't the kid's fault, he was just following his boss's orders. Ludwig's a good guy..." sniffled Gilbert. "They blame me... I practically raised him, so it's _my_fault. I think they're just afraid of me..."

Roderich patted the Prussian's back soothingly, nuzzling against him. "Are you certain...? Will you really die?"

"Ivan offered me a way out," came the miserable reply. "...I become 'East Germany,' and well, West... I never thought that nickname would become so literal. I have to live with Ivan... Either I leave in the morning, or I'm going to die."

"...Why did you come to me?"

For a moment, Gilbert didn't speak, too busy nearly choking on a particularly loud sob as he lifted his head to look at the Austrian. "...Because there's still a chance that I won't come back... I'm so scared, I don't know what to do... And, if I don't come back, I really need to tell you something."

Normally, Roderich would have something snide to say in return, but not today. He'd never seen Gilbert so low. It was horrible. "Tell me."

"I love you," Gilbert whispered so softly. It was so faint, the Austrian almost didn't catch it. He took a moment to process the information.

Whether it was true or not, now was not the time to think about it. Gilbert was about to leave him, possibly forever. There was no room for doubt. "...I love you too."

And he meant it. To him, Gilbert was the single, most beautifully baffling man he had ever met. Years of rivalry led to this. They had always, and would for all of eternity, hold a certain amount of respect for each other. Perhaps the respect and admiration had turned into something else entirely that was beautiful in itself.

"I'm sorry I have to leave."

"I'm sorry, too," murmured the Austrian. "Stay with me tonight... I want to be with you until it's over."

The Prussian nodded slowly, and he rubbed his forehead with the back of his palm. "Don't let go."

The smaller man complied easily, putting one arm around Gilbert's waist, the other hand holding one of the albino's as he guided the man back to his bedroom. He pressed a kiss to that hand before pulling him into the bed.

As he had done so with the blankets before, his arms wrapped around the other man's waist, and he curled around him in a needy, desperate way, holding him like a teddy bear. "I will never, ever forget about you, Gilbert. I love you too much to forget you."

"Good," said the Prussian softly, his tears dry as he brushed his lips against the Austrian's in a surprise kiss. "If you ever forget me, I swear to God, I will never forgive you. You have no idea how much I love you. Why the hell did this have to happen for me to tell you?"

Roderich shook his head. "Never. I wish you'd said something before. I'll wait for you forever if I have to. I promise."

"I promise I'll come back."

* * *

When Roderich awoke the next morning, Gilbert was nowhere to be seen. He left his robe lying in the bed, and not another trace. Roderich knew he was gone.

Now he would cry, pressing his face deep into the soft fabric of the robe, because oh _God,_it smelled just like him. His own personal scent that was all him, and a hint of beer, with no other smell to describe it. It was deep, and musky, and robust, and it was perfect. He would treasure it forever. At least until the Prussian came home, then he would return it to him, of course. He slipped it on, still inhaling its scent.

Upon slipping his hand into one of the pockets, a piece of paper came into his reach. He pulled it out, inspecting the scritchy-scratchy handwriting curiously. It was Gilbert's, no doubt. The writing was horrendous.

Nonetheless, it broke his heart.

_"Roderich,_

_I would have waited until you woke up, but I really had to leave... I am so, so, so, so, so, so sorry. I shouldn't have told you that right before I was leaving you. I'm safe, I promise... I probably won't be able to write, but I'll try. I feel like I already left, because you're so far away even though you're right next to me while I'm writing this. Always remember me, but please don't wait. I'm so afraid that as hard as I try, you really will be waiting forever._

_Love,_

_Gilbert"_


End file.
